Category Archives: Travel Warnings

Venturing out of a hotel room in Hawaii right now might land you in handcuffs.

Just ask one of the roughly 20 people who’ve been arrested for violating Governor David Ige’s two-week quarantine imposed on all who arrive in the state or travel between its islands.

Hundreds more have been arrested or issued citations for violating other aspects of the state’s emergency orders to combat the coronavirus, which are among the nation’s strictest and have helped to drive down the rate of infection to the second lowest in the country.

State parks and Hawaii’s famous beaches have been closed. Hotels are issuing single-use keys, forcing quarantined guests who leave their rooms to go to the front desk and explain why. Airlines have been encouraged to suspend incoming flights. The state’s visitors bureau has asked media organizations to “refrain from publishing any stories about Hawaii that might encourage people to travel to the islands.”

Dr. Ethan Weiss tweeted a photo Saturday showing what appears to be a full United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco. Though passengers are wearing masks, he said the crowded cabin runs counter to United’s assurances that it would leave middle seats empty in order to promote social distancing to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

People in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were urged to “refrain from non-essential domestic travel” for the next two weeks by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the number of people killed by the coronavirus pandemic around the world surpassed 30,000….NBC News

A woman who flew last week from Massachusetts to Los Angeles — then to Beijing, where she tested positive for the new coronavirus — is under investigation on allegations of concealing her symptoms and putting fellow travelers at risk of infection.

The woman took fever-reducing medication before boarding a plane and lied to flight attendants, according to Beijing’s disease control center and an Air China representative, who held a news conference on Monday.

The woman, who was hospitalized and is receiving treatment, is under investigationfor the crime of “impeding prevention of infectious diseases.” According to Chinese law, she could face up to three years of imprisonment or detention with possible forced labor, or up to seven years of prison if there are “serious consequences.”

Officials in Washington state have moved to fill four properties bought to house those unable to self-quarantineOfficials in Washington state have moved to fill four properties bought to house those unable to self-quarantine (AFP Photo/Michelle WALLARD MARTIN)

Officials in Washington state have moved to fill four properties bought to house those unable to self-quarantine

Officials in Washington state have moved to fill four properties bought to house those unable to self-quarantine (AFP Photo/Michelle WALLARD MARTIN)

Seattle (AFP) – A project to set up “quarantine motels” in the US coronavirus epicenter of Washington state has infuriated local residents who fear they will be exposed to a high risk of infection.

More than half of all US novel coronavirus deaths so far have struck in King County, which encompasses the city of Seattle. The region has suffered 43 fatalities.

With the entire northwestern state going into lockdown Monday — bars, restaurants, gyms and museums are all closed — officials have moved to fill four properties bought to house those unable to self-quarantine.

Note: The Miami Herald and McClatchy news sites have lifted the paywall on this developing story, providing critical information to readers. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription.

Despite a positive COVID-19 test from a passenger who had disembarked days earlier, thousands of people were allowed to leave a cruise ship in Miami Sunday without undergoing medical screening.

The former passenger got off the MSC Meraviglia in Miami on March 8 after an eight-day Caribbean cruise, leaving 103 passengers and the ship’s crew aboard for the next voyage. Four days later, after the ship had sailed with thousands of additional new passengers aboard, the Public Health Agency of Canada informed Broward-based MSC Cruises that the former passenger had tested positive.Keep Reading